Archive for October, 2008

Forever Young is a new children’s book in which illustrator Paul Rogers visualises scenes from the lyrics of the classic song from Planet Waves, with other references from across the Dylan catalogue.

It’s a delight – children of all ages will love it.

In case you miss the Dylan references hidden in the pictures, Rogers kindly spells most of them out at the back, with the help of a couple of pages of thumbnails. If you spot more than half without cheating, count yourself a remarkably alert Dylan guru.

“I thought Dylan Books readers would like to know that branches of HMV are currently offering Jonathan Cott’s book, Dylan on Dylan, for £3 (RRP £8.99) and the DVD of I’m Not There as part of their 3 for £20 promotion.”

(And Fopp, HMV’s recently acquired subsidiary, is also discounting the single DVD version of I’m Not There – to £8 the last time I visited a Fopp store. Gerry Smith)

Updating his Bob Dylan Encyclopedia for the new paperback edition, Michael Gray took the opportunity to add new entries covering major recent events and product in the Dylan world.

Gray’s new edition reflects the widening array of Dylan-related activity, assessing product as varied as a CD – Modern Times, an art show – Drawn Blank, and two major DVD releases – I’m Not There and the Other Side Of The Mirror.

For the new material, Gray employs his well-established technique of mixing straight reporting with tough critical assessment. You might not always agree with him, but his combative tone consistently challenges you to think through your own opinions.

Apart from its intrinsic value, the new edition – which should be on any Dylan fan’s bookshelves – serves as a reminder of Gray’s pre-eminence as a Zim commentator.

Long before it became fashionable, Gray demonstrated, single-handedly, why Dylan is a great writer, to be considered alongside the giants of serious literature.

Song and Dance Man, Gray’s ground-breaking study from 1972, demonstrated to the first wave of Bobfans just why Dylan was special – why he was marching well in front of the trailing line of rock musos with whom he’d hitherto been associated.

Countless Dylan fans are indebted to Michael Gray.

Gerry Smith

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EARLIER RELATED ARTICLE:

NEW: paperback Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, with updates, out tomorrow

Continuum publishes the paperback edition of Michael Gray’s Bob Dylan Encyclopedia tomorrow, in both London and New York. The text has been updated by new entries and amendments to many of the entries in the hardback. To keep the price down, the new edition doesn’t include a CD-ROM.

Here’s how The Dylan Daily greeted the hardback edition:

“The Encylopedia majors on its author’s unparalleled expertise, his critical judgment and a ready intelligence and authorial finesse…in three quarters of a million words, he paints a massive canvas. Over 730 pages, its daunting breadth of coverage and sheer level of detail is deeply impressive… destined to be the most important Bob Dylan book, bar none.”